Jump to content

Wikipedia:April Fools' Main Page/2010 (3)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Welcome to Wikipedia,
3,239,661 articles in English
Overview · Editing · Questions · Help

Contents · Categories · Featured content · A–Z index

Today's featured article

A contemporary French print on the English custom of wife selling

Wife selling was a traditional English practice for ending an unsatisfactory marriage. Instead of dealing with an expensive and dragged-out divorce, a husband would take his wife to market and parade her with a halter around her neck, arm, or waist, before publicly auctioning her to the highest bidder. Any children from the marriage might also be sold along with their mother. Prices paid for wives varied considerably, from a high of £100 (plus £25 each for her two children), to a low of a glass of ale, or even free. The Duke of Chandos bought his second wife at one such sale in Newbury in about 1744. Along with other English customs, wife selling was exported to England's American colonies, where one man sold his wife for "two dollars and half [a] dozen bowls of grogg". Husbands were sometimes sold by their wives in a similar manner, but much less frequently. Wife selling persisted in some form into the early 20th century, as general attitudes began to shift. (more...)

Recently featured: Death of Ian TomlinsonTakalik AbajIridion 3D

Did you know...

From Wikipedia's newest articles:

Adult-sized wooden cradle with "Henpeck'd Club's peace box" written on the side

In the news

Headquarters of a multinational conglomerate corporation in Japan


On this day...

April 1: Maundy Thursday (Christianity, 2010); National Day in Iran (1979); Assyrian New Year; Edible Book Day; and April Fools' Day

An example of an assembled Apple Computer "do-it-yourself" kit, complete with a wooden board with the words "Apple Computer" engraved on it

More anniversaries:
1895 weight gain ad
An advertisement exhorting readers to "GET FAT", in which the woman depicted makes a conspiratorial wink as she shares the secret to her beauty.Advertisement: The Gribler Bank Note Co. from photo by Bakers Art Gallery
Restoration: Lise Broer

Other areas of Wikipedia

  • Help desk – Ask questions about using Wikipedia.
  • Reference desk – Serving as virtual librarians, Wikipedia volunteers tackle your questions on a wide range of subjects.
  • Village pump – For discussions about Wikipedia itself, including areas for technical issues and policies.
  • Community portal – Bulletin board, projects, resources and activities covering a wide range of Wikipedia areas.
  • Site news – Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Local embassy – For Wikipedia-related communication in languages other than English.

Wikipedia's sister projects

Wikipedia is hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization that also hosts a range of other projects:

Wikipedia languages